Content device and control method thereof

ABSTRACT

A device includes a communication unit including at least one of a wireless communication module and a wired communication module. The device also includes a controller configured to access, based on communications received through the communication unit, a plurality of identifiers which each mark a manipulation of content performed by an electronic device. The plurality of identifiers mark manipulations of the content performed by different electronic devices. The controller also is configured to facilitate output, on an output unit, of a representation of the plurality of identifiers. The output unit is separate from the different electronic devices that performed the manipulations of the content marked by the plurality of identifiers.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a content device and a control methodthereof.

BACKGROUND

As the functions of terminals such as personal computers, laptopcomputers, cellular phones and the like are diversified, the terminalsare constructed in the form of a multimedia player having multiplefunctions of capturing pictures or moving images, playing music, movingimage files and games and receiving broadcasting programs.

A terminal as a multimedia player can be referred to as a display devicesince it generally has a function of displaying video information.

Terminals can be divided into a mobile terminal and a stationaryterminal. Examples of mobile terminals include laptop computers,cellular phones, etc. and examples of stationary terminals includetelevision systems, monitors for desktop computers, etc.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, a device includes a communication unit with at least oneof a wireless communication module and a wired communication module. Thedevice also includes a controller configured to access, based oncommunications received through the communication unit, a plurality ofidentifiers which each mark a manipulation of content performed by anelectronic device. The plurality of identifiers mark manipulations ofthe content performed by different electronic devices. The controlleralso is configured to facilitate output, on an output unit, of arepresentation of the plurality of identifiers. The output unit isseparate from the different electronic devices that performed themanipulations of the content marked by the plurality of identifiers.

Implementations may include one or more of the following features. Forexample, the controller may be configured to access a plurality ofidentifiers which each mark a manipulation of content performed by auser and which each indicate the user that performed the manipulation ofcontent, and facilitate output of the representation of the plurality ofidentifiers based on the user that performed the manipulation of contentindicated by each of the plurality of identifiers. In this example, thecontroller may be configured to facilitate output of the representationof the plurality of identifiers with an indication of the user thatperformed the manipulation of content indicated by each of the pluralityof identifiers.

In addition, the controller may be configured to determine an identityof a user to which the representation of the plurality of identifiers isto be output and compare the determined identity to indications of theuser that performed the manipulation of content indicated by each of theplurality of identifiers. Based on comparison results, the controllermay be configured to identify a subset of the plurality of identifiersthat match the determined identity and facilitate output of arepresentation of the identified subset of the plurality of identifiersthat match the determined identity.

Further, the controller may be configured to access a plurality ofidentifiers which each mark a point of the content at which the contentwas recently output by each of the different electronic devices andfacilitate output of the point of the content at which the content wasrecently output by each of the different electronic devices. Thecontroller also may be configured to access a plurality of identifierswhich each mark a task performed on the content by each of the differentelectronic devices and facilitate output of the task performed on thecontent by each of the different electronic devices.

In some implementations, the controller may be configured to determinethat manipulation of content has terminated and, based on thedetermination that manipulation of content has terminated, monitor foradditional manipulation of the content for a pre-set period of timeafter the determination that manipulation of content has terminated.Based on the monitoring for additional manipulation of the content forthe pre-set period of time after the determination that manipulation ofcontent has terminated, the controller may be configured to determinewhether additional manipulation of the content occurred during thepre-set period of time. Based on a determination that additionalmanipulation of the content occurred during the pre-set period of time,the controller may be configured to continue to monitor to determinewhether manipulation of content has terminated. Based on a determinationthat additional manipulation of the content did not occur during thepre-set period of time, the controller may be configured to perform anoperation directed to tagging an identifier for the content based on themanipulation of content that has terminated.

The controller may be configured to perform the operation directed totagging the identifier for the content by tagging an identifier for thecontent based on the manipulation of content that has terminated. Thecontroller also may be configured to perform the operation directed totagging the identifier for the content by asking a user whether toperform tagging of an identifier for the content based on themanipulation of content that has terminated and, in response to askingthe user, receiving user input indicating whether the user desires toperform tagging of an identifier for the content based on themanipulation of content that has terminated. Based on the user inputindicating a desire by the user to perform tagging of an identifier forthe content, the controller may be configured to tag an identifier forthe content based on the manipulation of content that has terminated.

In some examples, the controller may be configured to determine whetheran identifier is available for each content item included in a set ofcontent items. Based on the determination of whether an identifier isavailable for each content item included in a set of content items, thecontroller may be configured to facilitate output of a representationthe set of content items with an indication of whether an identifier isavailable for each content item included in the set of content items.The controller may be configured to facilitate output of therepresentation of the plurality of identifiers by facilitating output ofthe plurality of identifiers.

In some implementations, the device may include a display. In theseimplementations, the controller may be configured to receive, throughthe communication unit and from a server, communications defining theplurality of identifiers and display, on the display, a representationof the plurality of identifiers.

In some examples, the controller may be configured to receive, throughthe communication unit and from the different electronic devices,communications defining the plurality of identifiers, and store, inelectronic storage, the plurality of identifiers defined based on thereceived communications. In these examples, the controller may beconfigured to access, from the electronic storage, the plurality ofidentifiers defined based on the received communications and facilitateoutput of the representation of the plurality of identifiers by sending,through the communication unit and to a user device, communications thatenable the user device to output a representation of the plurality ofidentifiers.

Further, the controller may be configured to receive a selection of anidentifier from among the plurality of identifiers, determine a positionof the content matched to the selected identifier, and facilitate outputof the content starting from the determined position of the contentmatched to the selected identifier. The controller also may beconfigured to access a plurality of identifiers that each define areproduction position with respect to the content, each define in whichof the different electronic devices the corresponding identifier wastagged, and each define a user that tagged the corresponding identifier.

In another aspect, a method includes accessing, based on communicationsreceived through a communication unit that includes at least one of awireless communication module and a wired communication module, aplurality of identifiers which each mark a manipulation of contentperformed by an electronic device. The plurality of identifiers markmanipulations of the content performed by different electronic devices.The method also includes facilitating output, on an output unit, of arepresentation of the plurality of identifiers. The output unit isseparate from the different electronic devices that performed themanipulations of the content marked by the plurality of identifiers.

Implementations may include one or more of the following features. Forexample, the method may include accessing a plurality of identifierswhich each mark a manipulation of content performed by a user and whicheach indicate the user that performed the manipulation of content andfacilitating output of the representation of the plurality ofidentifiers based on the user that performed the manipulation of contentindicated by each of the plurality of identifiers. In this example, themethod may include facilitating output of the representation of theplurality of identifiers with an indication of the user that performedthe manipulation of content indicated by each of the plurality ofidentifiers.

In addition, the method may include determining an identity of a user towhich the representation of the plurality of identifiers is to be outputand comparing the determined identity to indications of the user thatperformed the manipulation of content indicated by each of the pluralityof identifiers. The method also may include, based on comparisonresults, identifying a subset of the plurality of identifiers that matchthe determined identity and facilitating output of a representation ofthe identified subset of the plurality of identifiers that match thedetermined identity.

The method may include accessing a plurality of identifiers which eachmark a point of the content at which the content was recently output byeach of the different electronic devices and facilitating output of thepoint of the content at which the content was recently output by each ofthe different electronic devices. The method also may include accessinga plurality of identifiers which each mark a task performed on thecontent by each of the different electronic devices and facilitatingoutput of the task performed on the content by each of the differentelectronic devices.

In some implementations, the method may include determining thatmanipulation of content has terminated and, based on the determinationthat manipulation of content has terminated, monitoring for additionalmanipulation of the content for a pre-set period of time after thedetermination that manipulation of content has terminated. Based on themonitoring for additional manipulation of the content for the pre-setperiod of time after the determination that manipulation of content hasterminated, the method may include determining whether additionalmanipulation of the content occurred during the pre-set period of time.Based on a determination that additional manipulation of the contentoccurred during the pre-set period of time, the method may includecontinuing to monitor to determine whether manipulation of content hasterminated. Based on a determination that additional manipulation of thecontent did not occur during the pre-set period of time, the method mayinclude performing an operation directed to tagging an identifier forthe content based on the manipulation of content that has terminated.

The method may include tagging an identifier for the content based onthe manipulation of content that has terminated. The method also mayinclude asking a user whether to perform tagging of an identifier forthe content based on the manipulation of content that has terminatedand, in response to asking the user, receiving user input indicatingwhether the user desires to perform tagging of an identifier for thecontent based on the manipulation of content that has terminated. Basedon the user input indicating a desire by the user to perform tagging ofan identifier for the content, the method may include tagging anidentifier for the content based on the manipulation of content that hasterminated.

In some examples, the method may include determining whether anidentifier is available for each content item included in a set ofcontent items. In these examples, the method may include, based on thedetermination of whether an identifier is available for each contentitem included in a set of content items, facilitating output of arepresentation the set of content items with an indication of whether anidentifier is available for each content item included in the set ofcontent items.

Further, the method may include facilitating output of the plurality ofidentifiers. In addition, the method may include receiving, through thecommunication unit and from a server, communications defining theplurality of identifiers and displaying, on a display, a representationof the plurality of identifiers.

In some implementations, the method may include receiving, through thecommunication unit and from the different electronic devices,communications defining the plurality of identifiers and storing, inelectronic storage, the plurality of identifiers defined based on thereceived communications. In these implementations, the method mayinclude accessing, from the electronic storage, the plurality ofidentifiers defined based on the received communications and sending,through the communication unit and to a user device, communications thatenable the user device to output a representation of the plurality ofidentifiers.

In some examples, the method may include receiving a selection of anidentifier from among the plurality of identifiers and determining aposition of the content matched to the selected identifier. In theseexamples, the method may include facilitating output of the contentstarting from the determined position of the content matched to theselected identifier. Further, the method may include accessing aplurality of identifiers that each define a reproduction position withrespect to the content, each define in which of the different electronicdevices the corresponding identifier was tagged, and each define a userthat tagged the corresponding identifier.

The details of one or more implementations are set forth in theaccompanying drawings and the description, below. Other potentialfeatures of the disclosure will be apparent from the description anddrawings, and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example display device;

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example structure of a servicenetwork related to the display device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of an example digital living networkalliance (DLNA) network;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating example layers according to a functionof a DLNA;

FIG. 5 is a view showing example operations of electronic devicesincluding a display device;

FIGS. 6 to 8 are views showing an example structure of contents;

FIGS. 9 to 11 are views showing example positions of contents;

FIGS. 12 and 13 are flow charts illustrating an example process of anoperation of the display device;

FIGS. 14 to 17 are views showing example operations;

FIG. 18 is a view showing an example bookmark of a document;

FIGS. 19 and 20 are views showing example tagging identifiers withrespect to images and displaying the tagged images;

FIG. 21 is a view showing example identifiers with respect to Web pages;

FIG. 22 is a view showing example identifiers with respect toapplications;

FIG. 23 is a view showing an example reproduction position of contents;

FIGS. 24 and 25 are views showing example operations according toreproduction references;

FIG. 26 is a flow chart illustrating an example process of a taggingoperation;

FIGS. 27 and 28 are views showing example operations of the displaydevice; and

FIGS. 29 and 30 are views showing example operations of the displaydevice.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, a mobile terminal relating to this document will bedescribed below in more detail with reference to the accompanyingdrawings. In the following description, suffixes such as ‘module’ and‘unit’ are given to components of the mobile terminal in considerationof only facilitation of description and do not have meanings orfunctions discriminated from each other.

The mobile terminal described in the specification can include acellular phone, a smart phone, a laptop computer, a digital broadcastingterminal, personal digital assistants (PDA), a portable multimediaplayer (PMP), a navigation system and so on.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example display device 100. As shown, the displaydevice 100 may include a communication unit 110, a user input unit 120,an output unit 150, a memory 160, an interface 170, a controller 180,and a power supply 190. All of the components shown in FIG. 1 may not beessential parts and the number of components included in the displaydevice 100 may be varied.

The communication unit 110 may include at least one module that enablescommunication between the display device 100 and a communication systemor between the display device 100 and another device. For example, thecommunication unit 110 may include a broadcasting receiving module 111,an Internet module 113, and a local area communication module 114.

The broadcasting receiving module 111 may receive broadcasting signalsand/or broadcasting related information from an external broadcastingmanagement server through a broadcasting channel.

The broadcasting channel may include a satellite channel and aterrestrial channel, and the broadcasting management server may be aserver that generates and transmits broadcasting signals and/orbroadcasting related information or a server that receives previouslycreated broadcasting signals and/or broadcasting related information andtransmits the broadcasting signals and/or broadcasting relatedinformation to a terminal. The broadcasting signals may include not onlyTV broadcasting signals, radio broadcasting signals, and databroadcasting signals but also signals in the form of a combination of aTV broadcasting signal and a radio broadcasting signal of a databroadcasting signal.

The broadcasting related information may be information on abroadcasting channel, a broadcasting program or a broadcasting serviceprovider, and may be provided even through a communication network.

The broadcasting related information may exist in various forms. Forexample, the broadcasting related information may exist in the form ofan electronic program guide (EPG) of a digital multimedia broadcasting(DMB) system or in the form of an electronic service guide (ESG) of adigital video broadcast-handheld (DVB-H) system.

The broadcasting receiving module 111 may receive broadcasting signalsusing various broadcasting systems. The broadcasting signals and/orbroadcasting related information received through the broadcastingreceiving module 111 may be stored in the memory 160.

The Internet module 113 may correspond to a module for Internet accessand may be included in the display device 100 or may be externallyattached to the display device 100.

The local area communication module 114 may correspond to a module fornear field communication. Further, Bluetooth™ radio frequencyidentification (RFID), infrared data association (IrDA), ultra wideband(UWB) and/or ZigBee™ may be used as a near field communicationtechnique.

The user input 120 is used to input an audio signal or a video signaland may include a camera 121 and a microphone 122.

The camera 121 may process image frames of still images or moving imagesobtained by an image sensor in a video telephony mode or a photographingmode. The processed image frames may be displayed on a display 151. Thecamera 121 may be a 2D or 3D camera. In addition, the camera 121 may beconfigured in the form of a single 2D or 3D camera or in the form of acombination of the 2D and 3D cameras.

The image frames processed by the camera 121 may be stored in the memory160 or may be transmitted to an external device through thecommunication unit 110. The display device 100 may include at least twocameras 121.

The microphone 122 may receive an external audio signal in a call mode,a recording mode or a speech recognition mode and process the receivedaudio signal into electric audio data. The microphone 122 may employvarious noise removal processes for removing or reducing noise generatedwhen the external audio signal is received.

The output unit 150 may include the display 151 and an audio outputmodule 152.

The display 151 may display information processed by the display device100. The display 151 may display a user interface (UI) or a graphic userinterface (GUI) relating to the display device 100. In addition, thedisplay 151 may include at least one of a liquid crystal display, a thinfilm transistor liquid crystal display, an organic light-emitting diodedisplay, a flexible display and a three-dimensional display. Some ofthese displays may be of a transparent type or a light transmissivetype. That is, the display 151 may include a transparent display. Thetransparent display may include a transparent liquid crystal display.The rear structure of the display 151 may also be of a lighttransmissive type. Accordingly, a user may see an object located behindthe body of terminal through the transparent area of the terminal body,occupied by the display 151.

The display device 100 may include at least two displays 151. Forexample, the display device 100 may include a plurality of displays 151that are arranged on a single face at a predetermined distance orintegrated displays. The plurality of displays 151 may also be arrangedon different sides.

Further, when the display 151 and a sensor sensing touch (hereafterreferred to as a touch sensor) form a layered structure that is referredto as a touch screen, the display 151 may be used as an input device inaddition to an output device. The touch sensor may be in the form of atouch film, a touch sheet, and a touch pad, for example.

The touch sensor may convert a variation in pressure applied to aspecific portion of the display 151 or a variation in capacitancegenerated at a specific portion of the display 151 into an electricinput signal. The touch sensor may sense pressure of touch as well asposition and area of the touch.

When the user applies a touch input to the touch sensor, a signalcorresponding to the touch input may be transmitted to a touchcontroller. The touch controller may then process the signal andtransmit data corresponding to the processed signal to the controller180. Accordingly, the controller 180 can detect a touched portion of thedisplay 151.

The audio output module 152 may output audio data received from thecommunication unit 110 or stored in the memory 160. The audio outputmodule 152 may output audio signals related to functions, such as a callsignal incoming tone and a message incoming tone, performed in thedisplay device 100.

The memory 160 may store a program for operation of the controller 180and temporarily store input/output data such as a phone book, messages,still images, and/or moving images. The memory 160 may also store dataabout vibrations and sounds in various patterns that are output fromwhen a touch input is applied to the touch screen.

The memory 160 may include at least a flash memory, a hard disk typememory, a multimedia card micro type memory, a card type memory, such asSD or XD memory, a random access memory (RAM), a static RAM (SRAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an electrically erasable programmable ROM(EEPROM), a programmable ROM (PROM) magnetic memory, a magnetic disk oran optical disk. The display device 100 may also operate in relation toa web storage performing the storing function of the memory 160 on theInternet.

The interface 170 may serve as a path to all external devices connectedto the display device 100. The interface 170 may receive data from theexternal devices or power and transmit the data or power to internalcomponents of the display device terminal 100 or transmit data of thedisplay device 100 to the external devices. For example, the interface170 may include a wired/wireless headset port, an external charger port,a wired/wireless data port, a memory card port, a port for connecting adevice having a user identification module, an audio I/O port, a videoI/O port, and/or an earphone port.

The controller 180 may control overall operations of the display device100. For example, the controller 180 may perform control and processingfor voice communication. The controller 180 may also include an imageprocessor 182 for processing images, which will be explained in moredetail below.

The power supply 190 receives external power and internal power andprovides power required for each of the components of the display device100 to operate under the control of the controller 180.

Various implementations described in this document can be implemented insoftware, hardware or a computer readable recording medium. According tohardware implementation, described techniques may be implemented usingat least one of application specific integrated circuits (ASICs),digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices(DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gatearrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, micro-controllers,microprocessors, and/or electrical units for executing functions. Thedescribed techniques may be implemented by the controller 180 in somecases.

According to software implementation, described techniques, such asprocedures or functions, may be implemented with a separate softwaremodule executing at least one function or operation. Software codes maybe implemented according to a software application written in anappropriate software language. The software codes may be stored in thememory 160 and executed by the controller 180.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example structure of a service network and anexample structure of a service network for sharing contents betweenelectronic devices.

Referring to FIG. 2, the display device 100 is connected to at least oneouter electronic device 200 that can perform an image display functionthrough a network 300, and transmits contents to the outer electronicdevice 200 in order to display contents in the outer electronic device200 or receives contents from the outer electronic device 200 anddisplays the contents on a screen and thus shares the contents with theouter electronic device 200.

FIG. 2 illustrates a case where the display device 100 is a mobile phoneand the outer electronic device 200 is a television (TV) and a laptopcomputer, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Accordingto some implementations, the display device 100 and the outer electronicdevice 200 may be a mobile phone, a TV, a laptop computer, a smartphone, a digital broadcasting terminal, personal digital assistants(PDA), a portable multimedia player (PMP), a navigation device, adesktop computer, a set-top box, a personal video recorder (PVR), and anelectronic frame.

Referring again to FIG. 2, in order for the display device 100 to sharecontents with the outer electronic device 200, the display device 100and the outer electronic device 200 may form a platform for mutualcompatibility between the display device 100 and the outer electronicdevice 200. For this reason, the electronic devices 100 and 200 may forma platform based on a digital living network alliance (DLNA).

According to the DLNA, IPv4 can be used as a network stack, and fornetwork connection, Ethernet, Wireless Local Network (WLAN)(802.11a/b/g), Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), Bluetooth, and a communicationmethod that can perform IP connection can be used.

Further, according to the DLNA, in order to discover and control anelectronic device, a Universal Plug and Play (UPnP), particularly, UPnPAV Architecture and UPnP Device Architecture may be used. For example,in order to discover an electronic device, a simple service discoveryprotocol (SSDP) can be used. Further, in order to control an electronicdevice, a simple object access protocol (SOAP) can be used.

Further, according to the DLNA, in order to transmit media, HTTP and RTPcan be used, and JPEG, LPCM, MPEG2, MP3, and MPEG4 can be used as amedia format.

Further, according to the DLNA, digital media server (DMS), digitalmedia player (DMP), digital media renderer (DMR), digital mediacontroller (DMC) type electronic devices can be supported.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example DLNA network. The DLNA is a network and isa typical name of a standardization device for enabling mutual sharingof contents, such as music, a moving image, and a still image, betweenelectronic devices.

The DLNA generally uses an UPnP protocol. The DLNA network includes aDMS 310, a DMP 320, a DMR 330, and a DMC 340.

In some examples, the DLNA network includes at least one of each of theDMS 310, the DMP 320, the DMR 330, and the DMC 340. In these examples,the DLNA provides a specification for mutual compatibility of the eachdevice. Further, the DLNA network provides a specification for mutualcompatibility between the DMS 310, the DMP 320, the DMR 330, and the DMC340.

The DMS 310 provides digital media contents. That is, the DMS 310 storesand manages contents. The DMS 310 receives and executes various commandsfrom the DMC 340. For example, when the DMS 310 receives a play command,the DMS 310 searches for contents to reproduce and provides the contentsto the DMR 330. The DMS 310 may include, for example, a personalcomputer (PC), a personal video recorder (PVR), and a set-top box.

The DMP 320 controls contents or an electronic device, and controls thecontents to be reproduced. That is, the DMP 320 performs a function ofthe DMR 330 for reproduction and a function of the DMC 340 for control.The DMP 320 may include, for example, a TV, a DTV, and a home theater.

The DMR 330 reproduces contents. The DMR 330 reproduces contents that itreceives from the DMS 310. The DMR 330 may include, for example, anelectronic frame.

The DMC 340 provides a control function. The DMC 340 may include, forexample, a mobile phone and a PDA.

Further, the DLNA network may include the DMS 310, the DMR 330, and theDMC 340 or may include the DMP 320 and DMR 330.

Further, the DMS 310, the DMP 320, the DMR 330, and the DMC 340 maydefine functional classification of an electronic device. For example,when the mobile phone has a reproduction function as well as a controlfunction, the mobile phone may correspond to the DMP 320, and when theDTV manages contents, the DTV may correspond to the DMS 310 as well asthe DMP 320.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example function component according to a DLNA.The function component according to the DLNA includes a media formatlayer, a media transport layer, a device discovery and control and mediamanagement layer, a network stack layer, and a network connectivitylayer.

The network connectivity layer includes a physical layer and a linklayer of a network. The network connectivity layer includes Ethernet,Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. In addition, the network connectivity layer uses acommunication medium that can perform IP connection.

The network stack layer uses an IPv4 protocol. The device discovery andcontrol and media management layer generally uses UPnP, particularly,UPnP AV Architecture and UPnP Device Architecture. For example, fordevice discovery, an SSDP may be used. Further, for control, SOAP may beused.

The media transport layer uses HTTP 1.0/1.1 or a real-time transportprotocol (RTP) in order to reproduce streaming.

The media format layer uses an image, audio, AV media, and extensiblehypertext markup language (XHTML) document.

FIG. 5 shows example operations of electronic devices including adisplay device, and FIGS. 6 to 8 show an example structure of contents.

As shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, a controller (180 in FIG. 1) of a displaydevice 100 may obtain particular contents (C in FIG. 6) including aplurality of tagged identifiers (shown as BMs to indicate bookmarks)from different electronic devices 100, 200 a, and 200 b and display thesame.

A server (S) may be connected to the display device 100 and first andsecond electronic devices 200 a and 200 b through a fixed line and/orwirelessly. The server (S) may be a data storage device physicallyplaced at a particular position or a virtual data storage space in theform of a cloud.

The server (S) may be an electronic device having a management attributewith respect to the contents (C). For example, the server (S) may serveas a DMS in a digital living network alliance (DLNA) environment. Thus,the server (S) may be connected to the different electronic devices 100,200 a, and 200 b through a fixed line or wirelessly and serve to storethe contents (C), transmit the stored contents (C) to the electronicdevices 100, 200 a, and 200 b, or the like.

The server (S) may manage the particular contents (C) and perform arelevant management operation. For example, the server (S) may generatean identifier BM of the particular contents (C) or store the generatedidentifier BM. The operation of the server (S) including the identifier(BM) is as follows.

The user may render the particular contents (C) in the differentelectronic devices 100, 200 a, and 200 b. This may be more clearlyunderstood in case in which the particular contents (C) is video.

The passage of time may be divided into a section P1 from a point intime at which time is 0 (zero) to a point in time T1, a section P2 fromthe point in time T1 to a point in time T2, and a section P3 from thepoint in time T2 to a point in time T3.

The user may reproduce (or play) the contents (C) in the section P1 byusing the display device 100, reproduce the contents (C) in the sectionP2 by using the first electronic device 200 a, and reproduce thecontents (C) in the section P3 by using the second electronic device 200b. Namely, the user may sequentially reproduce the particular singlecontents (C) through the different electronic devices 100, 200 a, and200 b.

The contents (C) may vary. Namely, the contents (C) may include a stillimage, a video, documents, and the like. Here, an illustrative exampleis discussed in which images from A to N of the contents (C) as a videoare sequentially displayed.

When the user has viewed the contents (C) of the video until the pointin time T1, an end point in time of the section P1, by using the displaydevice 100, the video up to a portion C may have been reproduced. Whenthe user has viewed the contents (C) of the video until the point intime T2, an end point in time of the section P2, by using the firstelectronic device 200 a, the video up to a portion E may have beenreproduced. When the user has viewed the contents (C) of the video untilthe point in time T3, an end point in time of the section P3, by usingthe second electronic device 200 b, the video up to a portion F may havebeen reproduced.

The server (S) may obtain information regarding up to which portion thecontents (C) has been reproduced at the points in time T1, T2, and T3 atwhich the use of the respective electronic devices 100, 200 a, and 200 bis stopped, respectively. For example, an identifier BM with respect toa corresponding point of the contents (C) as the video can be generated.Here, the identifier BM may be a bookmark.

When there is a request for reproducing the contents (C) from the user,the server (S), having an identifier BM with respect to each point, mayprovide the identifier BM to the user. Namely, information regarding towhich portion the corresponding contents (C) has been reproduced may beshared by the different electronic devices 100, 200 a, and 200 b. Inaddition, the identifier BM may include information regarding which ofthe electronic devices 100, 200 a, and 200 b has tagged the identifier,and/or information regarding who has tagged the identifier BM.

As shown in FIG. 6, the contents (C) may include a body and metadata.

The body may be a portion including substantial contents of the contents(C). For example, when the contents (C) is a video, the body may be aportion in which the video data is stored. When the contents (C) is astill image, the body may be a portion in which still image data isstored. When the contents (C) is a document, the body may be a potion inwhich document data is stored.

The metadata may be a portion serving as a header in order todiscriminate the contents (C) from other data. For example, the metadatamay be a portion including the title of the contents (C), a reproductiontime of the contents (C), a creation date of the contents (C), and thelike. In addition, the metadata of the contents (C) used in the displaydevice 100 may include an identifier BM.

The identifier BM may include information regarding to which point thecorresponding contents (C) has been reproduced in any of the electronicdevices 100, 200 a, and 200 b. For example, the identifier BM mayinclude identification numbers BM1 to BM3, position information TI1 toTI3, device information DI1 to DI3, user information UI1 to UI3, and thelike. In addition, the identifier BM may further include geographicalinformation.

The identification numbers BM1 to BM3 may be the number of eachidentifier BM.

The position information TI1 to TI3 may be information regarding towhich position of the corresponding contents (C), the identifier BM hasbeen tagged. For example, the position information TI1 to TI3 may beinformation regarding to which position of the corresponding contents(C) the identifier BM has been tagged. For example, the positioninformation TI1 to TI3 may be information regarding a reproduction timeof the contents (C). The server (S) and/or the electronic devices 100,200 a, and 200 b may determine a position from which the contents (C) isto be reproduced, on the basis of the position information TI1 to TI3.

The device information DI1 to DI3 may be information regarding theelectronic devices which have tagged the corresponding identifiers BMS.For example, the fact that a first identifier BM1 has been tagged in thedisplay device 100, a second identifier BM2 has been tagged in the firstelectronic device 200 a, and a third identifier BM3 has been tagged inthe second electronic device 200 b may be stored in the deviceinformation DI1 to DI3.

The user information UI1 to UI3 may be information regarding the userswho have tagged the corresponding identifiers BM. For example, the factthat first identifier BM1 has been tagged by a first user, the secondidentifier BM2 has been tagged by a second user, and the thirdidentifier BM3 has been tagged by a third user may be stored in the userinformation UI1 to UI3.

The controller (180 in FIG. 1) may determine which portion of thecontents (C) a user wants to view on the basis of the identifiers BMincluding the device information DI1 to DI3 and/or user information UI1to UI3. For example, among the plurality of identifiers BM, the user,who is currently using the display device 100, may reproduce thecontents (C), starting from a portion corresponding to the user taggedidentifier BM. Also, among the plurality of identifiers BM, the user mayreproduce the contents (C), starting from a portion corresponding to anidentifier BMS tagged in the display device 100.

Geographical information may be information regarding at which positiona corresponding tagging has been performed. The electronic devices 100,200 a, and 200 b may obtain a global positioning system (GPS) signal, orthe like, and may recognize the location of the electronic devices 100,200 a, and 200 b. The tagging of the geographical information may beused as a reference in determining which of the identifiers BM is to beselected when the contents (C) is reproduced later. For example, anidentifier BM tagged at the same location may be selected or anidentifier BM tagged at a particular location may be selected.

FIG. 6 shows a case in which the body and the metadata are implementedin single contents (C). However, as shown in FIG. 7, the body and themetadata may be configured to have various forms.

As shown in FIG. 7( a), the body and metadata of contents (C) may beseparately configured. For example, the body and the metadata may beconfigured as separate files. In this case, the body having a relativelylarge amount of data and the metadata having a relatively small amountof data may be separately transmitted, thus implementing a potentiallyimproved data transmission/reception environment.

As shown in FIG. 7( b), in contents (C), a header and a body areintegrally configured, while an identifier may be separately configured.The header may include a configuration for reproducing the body of thecontents (C). The identifier may include a bookmark for selectivelyreproducing a particular portion of the contents (C). By configuring theidentifier which may have a smaller amount of data than the metadata, asa separate file, a potentially improved data transmission/receptionenvironment can be implemented.

FIG. 8 shows an example configuration of identifiers BM. As illustrated,the respective identifiers BM1, BM2, and BM3 may include anidentification number, position information, device information, anduser information.

The position information may indicate a position at which eachidentifier has been tagged. Namely, the first identifier BM1 may havebeen tagged to a point in time T1, the second identifier BM2 may havebeen tagged to a point in time T2, and the third identifier BM3 may havebeen tagged to a point in time T3.

The device information may indicate a device to which each identifierhas been tagged. Namely, the first identifier BM1 may have been taggedin a TV, the second identifier BM2 may have been tagged in a tablet, andthe third identifier BM3 may have been tagged in a phone.

The user information may indicate a user who has tagged each identifier.Namely, the first identifier BM1 may have been tagged by Kim, the secondidentifier BM2 may have been tagged by Lee, and the third identifier BM3may have been tagged by Park.

Since the identifiers include the information regarding the devices inwhich the identifiers have been tagged and/or the information regardingthe users, basic information for determining which of the identifiersBMS is to be used to perform reproducing can be effectively provided.

FIGS. 9 to 11 show example positions of contents. As illustrated,contents may be positioned in any one or more of the server (S) and theelectronic devices 100, 200 a, and 200 b.

As shown in FIG. 9, a body and an identifier may be positioned in theserver. As mentioned above, the server may include a virtual server of acloud concept as well as a server physically fixed at a particularposition.

The server may transmit the contents to the electronic devices 100, 200a, and 200 b according to a corresponding request. For example, thefirst electronic device 200 a may request the contents, and when thefirst electronic device 200 a adds an identifier, correspondinginformation may be transmitted to the server. The second electronicdevice 200 b may request the contents, and when the second electronicdevice 200 b adds an identifier, corresponding information may betransmitted to the server.

The server may generate an identifier on the basis of the receivedinformation. Namely, the server may generate data regarding which pointof contents a device has tagged.

The server may store the generated identifier therein. Namely, afterobtaining and generating the tagging information, the server may performcontinuous maintenance on the tagging information.

When a request is received from the electronic devices 100, 200 a, and200 b, the server may transmit the body and/or identifier to allow thecontents to be reproduced.

As shown in FIG. 10, the identifier may be positioned in the electronicdevices 100, 200 a, and 200 b, not in the server. For example, the body,a substantial data part of the contents, may be positioned in theserver, while the identifier assisting in reproducing the body may bedistributed to be positioned in the first electronic device 200 a.

When the identifier is positioned in an area other than the server, thefollowing operation may be performed. For example, when the displaydevice 100 requests contents, the server may transmit the stored body tothe display device 100. In addition, the server may inform the displaydevice 100 about the position of the identifier. The display device 100,which has obtained the position of the identifier, may request theidentifier from the first electronic device 200 a on the basis of theinformation.

The server may obtain an identifier from the first electronic device 200a and transmit the obtained identifier to the display device 100according to a corresponding request from the display device 100. Thisoperation may be expressed as a data relay.

When the display device 100, which reproduces contents, tags aparticular position of the contents, corresponding information may betransferred to the first electronic device 200 a through the server ormay be directly transmitted to the first electronic device 200 a. Uponreceiving the information, the first electronic device 200 a may updatethe identifier.

As shown in FIG. 11, both the identifier and the body may be positionedin the electronic devices 100, 200 a, and 200 b, not in the server. Forexample, the identifier may be positioned in the first electronic device200 a, and the body may be positioned in the second electronic device200 b.

When the display device 100 requests contents, the server may inform thedisplay device 100 about the position of the identifier and the body.Or, the server may temporarily obtain the identifier and the body andtransmit the same to the display device 100. Namely, the identifier andthe body may be relayed from the first and second electronic devices 200a and 200 b to the display device 100.

FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate an example process of an operation of thedisplay device. As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the controller (180 inFIG. 1) of the display device 100 may determine whether or not anidentifier exists (S10).

When an identifier does not exist, step S50 of reproducing contents fromthe beginning may be performed. When the content is first reproduced orwhen there is no tagging with respect to the corresponding contents, anidentifier, a bookmark, may not exist. In this case, the contents may bereproduced from the beginning if there is no particular manipulation.

When there is an identifier, step S20 of displaying the identifier maybe performed.

A plurality of identifiers may exist. The controller (180 in FIG. 1) maydisplay the plurality of identifiers on the display (151 in FIG. 1).

As shown in FIG. 13, the identifiers may be displayed on the basis ofelectronic devices (S21) or may be displayed on the basis of users(S24).

When the identifiers are displayed on the basis of the electronicdevices (S21), the identifiers may be displayed on the basis of thetypes of electronic devices which have tagged the identifiers.

Step S21 of displaying the identifiers on the basis of electronicdevices may include step S22 of displaying the identifiers on the basisof a currently manipulated electronic device and/or step S23 ofdisplaying respective electronic devices.

The electronic devices may be displayed on the currently manipulatedelectronic device in the following case. Namely, when particularcontents is tagged in the TV, the tablet, and the phone, respectively, amethod of displaying an identifier may be different according to theelectronic device for reproducing the contents. For example, when the TVis currently manipulated, an identifier tagged in the TV, amongidentifiers, may be primarily displayed or the contents may bereproduced on the basis of the identifier.

When the identifiers are displayed by electronic devices, the taggedidentifiers may be displayed together with the types of the electronicdevices which have tagged the identifiers. The user may select anidentifier on the basis of the displayed types of the electronicdevices.

Step S24 of displaying the identifiers on the basis of users may includestep S25 of displaying the identifiers on the basis of a currentlymanipulating user and/or step S26 of displaying the identifiers byusers.

Information regarding who has manipulated the electronic devices may beobtained through various routes. For example, the user of the electronicdevices may be determined on the basis of log-in information regardingthe devices, or the user of the electronic devices may be determined onthe basis of a detection of a user through a device mounted in theelectronic devices. In addition, the user of the electronic devices maybe estimated on the basis of activity such as usage history of thedevices.

The identifiers may be displayed on the basis of a currentlymanipulating user in the following case. Namely, particular contents mayhave been tagged by first and second users. With the particular contentstagged, the first user may currently attempt reproducing the contents.In this case, the identifier tagged by the first user may be primarilydisplayed or the contents may be reproduced on the basis of theidentifier tagged by the first user.

Displaying of the identifiers by users may include displaying the taggedidentifiers together with the information regarding the users who havetagged the identifiers. Each user may select an identifier which hasbeen tagged by himself or which has been tagged by different person andreproduce the same on the basis of the displayed information.

FIGS. 14 to 17 show example operations. As shown in FIGS. 14 to 17, thedisplay device 100 may display identifiers (BM) in various manners.

As shown in FIG. 14( a), the controller (180 in FIG. 1) may display afirst display window P1 which displays the presence of a bookmark, anidentifier BM, and/or allows for a user input with respect to how tohandle the identifier.

The user may select one of a bookmark view menu or a disregard menudisplayed on the first display window P1.

As shown in FIG. 14( b), when the user selects the bookmark view menu,second to fourth display windows P2 to P4 may be displayed on thedisplay 151. In FIG. 14, the case of displaying the second to fourthdisplay windows P2 to P4 is illustrated, but the number of displaywindows may vary depending on the number of the identifiers BM.

The second to fourth display windows P2 to P4 may be matched to theidentifiers BM, respectively. For example, the second display window P2may be matched to the first identifier BM1, the third display window P3may be matched to the second identifier BM2, and the fourth displaywindow P4 may be matched to the third identifier BM3.

Type information of the electronic devices which have taggedcorresponding identifiers BM, still images of the contents matched totagged positions, and time information regarding tagged position may bedisplayed on the second to fourth display windows P2 to P4.

The user of the display device 100 may view and check the displayedsecond to fourth display windows P2 to P4 and select a desiredidentifier BM. When the identifier BM is selected, the controller (180in FIG. 1) may reproduce the contents, starting from a correspondingpoint. Namely, the controller may request a transmission of the contentsat the corresponding point from the server (S) and display receivedcontents.

As shown in FIG. 15( a), information displayed on the second to fourthdisplay windows P2 to P4 may be displayed in the form of an image tohelp the user understand by intuition. For example, when the firstidentifier BM1 matched to the second display window P2 has been taggedin a TV, an image of the TV may be displayed, when the second identifierBM2 matched to the third display window P3 has been tagged in a tablet,an image of the tablet may be displayed, and when the third identifierBM3 matched to the fourth display window P4 has been tagged in a phone,an image of the phone may be displayed. By displaying the images of theelectronic devices from which the identifiers BM have been tagged, theuser can select any of them by intuition.

As shown in FIG. 15( b), the controller (180 in FIG. 1) may display thedisplay window matched to the devices currently displaying the second tofourth display windows P2 to P4 such that it is different from the otherdisplay windows. For example, when the second to fourth display windowP2 to P4 are currently displayed through the display 151 of the TV, thesecond display window P2 matched to the first identifier BM1 which hasbeen tagged through the TV may be displayed to be larger than the otherdisplay windows or may be displayed in a different color. In addition,the controller (180 in FIG. 1) may immediately reproduce contents at theposition matched to the identifier which has been tagged in theelectronic device currently manipulated by the user.

As shown in FIG. 16( a), the controller (180 in FIG. 1) may display thesecond to fourth display windows P2 to P4 and display informationregarding the users who have tagged the second to fourth display windowsP2 to P4. For example, when the first identifier BM1 matched to thesecond display window P2 has been tagged by Kim, the second identifierBM2 matched to the third display window P3 has been tagged by Lee, andthe third identifier BM3 matched to the fourth display window P4 hasbeen tagged by Park, the information regarding the users who have taggedthe second to fourth display windows P2 to P4 may be displayed.

As shown in FIG. 16( b), the controller (180 in FIG. 1) may display theimages and/or animation characters of the users on the second to fourthdisplay window P2 to P4. Thus, the user may quickly recognize theidentifiers which have been tagged by himself or by others by intuition.

As shown in FIG. 17, the controller (180 in FIG. 1) may display thedisplay window matched to a particular user such that it is differentfrom the other display windows. For example, when the user who hastagged the first identifier BM1 matched to the second pop-up window P2is Kim and the user Kim is currently manipulating the display device100, the controller (180 in FIG. 1) may display the second pop-up windowP2 differently from the third and fourth pop-up windows P3 and P4. Inaddition, the controller 180 may automatically reproduce the contents(C) from the portion corresponding to the identifier which has beentagged by the user who is currently manipulating the display device 100.

Information regarding the user who is using a particular device may beobtained through log-in record with respect to the particular device, ananalysis of an image captured by using a camera mounted in theparticular device, or the like. In addition, who is the user may bedetermined through the record of the user who has used the particulardevice. For example, who is the user using the device may be determinedon the basis of information accumulated through records such as anaccess record with respect to a particular Web Site, an access recordwith respect to particular contents, an access record with respect to aparticular document, and the like.

FIG. 18 shows a bookmark of a document. As shown in FIG. 18, the displaydevice 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventionmay add an identifier BM to a document DOC and appropriately display theadded identifier BM on the display 151.

As shown in FIG. 18( a), first to third identifiers BM1 to BM3 may betagged to the document DOC. Each of the identifiers may be tagged indifferent devices at points in time T1 to T3. For example, the firstidentifier BM1 may be tagged while the user is viewing a TV until thepoint in time T1, the second identifier BM2 may be tagged while the useris viewing the document through the tablet until the point in time T2,and the third identifier BM3 may be tagged while the user is viewing thedocument through the phone until the point in time T3.

As shown in FIG. 18( b), the controller (180 in FIG. 1) may display thesecond to fourth display windows P2 to P4 on the display 151. The secondto fourth display windows P2 to P4 may be matched to first to thirdidentifiers BM1 to BM3 tagged to the document DOC.

Information related to the tagged identifiers may be displayed on thesecond to fourth display windows P2 to P4. For example, informationregarding when the identifiers have been tagged at which position ofwhich device may be displayed.

FIGS. 19 and 20 show examples of tagging identifiers with respect toimages and displaying the tagged images. As shown in FIGS. 19 and 20,searching for images in different electronic devices and displaying thesame may be more conveniently performed through identifiers.

As shown in FIG. 19( a), first to twelfth images 1 to 12 may bepositioned in a virtual image folder IF according to pre-set order. Inthis case, the user may sequentially search and view the first totwelfth images according to pre-set order. In this manner, the user mayview the third image 3 at the point in time T1, the seventh image 7 atthe point in time T2, and may view the eleventh image 11 at the point intime T3. Meanwhile, T1, T2, and T3 may be points in time at whichidentifiers have been tagged to the images in the respective devices.

As shown in FIG. 19( b), searching and displaying of images may berandomly performed. Namely, unlike the images in FIG. 19( a), randomimages selected by the user may be displayed. According to the randomselection, the third image 3 may have been tagged to the point in timeT1, the seventh image 7 may have been tagged to the point in time T2,and the eleventh image 11 may have been tagged to the point in time T3.

As shown in FIG. 20, information regarding the images which have beentagged at the points in time T1, T2, and T3, respectively, may bedisplayed on the display 151. The information regarding the displayedimages may be displayed together with information regarding the devicesin which the bookmarks have been tagged. Namely, the identifiers, e.g.,the bookmarks, may be displayed by the tagged devices. Thus, the usercan easily select an image he has viewed in a certain device.

FIG. 21 shows example identifiers with respect to Web pages. As shown inFIG. 21, the identifiers BM may reflect history that the respective Webpages WP1 to WP3 have been displayed.

The user may add the first identifier BM1 to the first Web page WP1 atthe point in time T1, add the second identifier BM2 to the second Webpage WP2 at the point in time T2, and add the third identifier BM3 tothe third Web page WP3 at the point in time T3. The identifiers BM mayinclude the first to third identifiers BM1 to BM3.

The user may access the Web page at a point in time T4 by using the TV.In this case, the controller (180 in FIG. 1) may provide informationregarding the respective identifiers BM1 to BM3 to the user. The usermay easily check Web page search history and easily move to a particularWeb page through the provided information regarding the identifiers BM.

FIG. 22 shows example identifiers with respect to applications. As shownin FIG. 22, the identifiers BM may be stored and used like a stack.Namely, the identifiers BM may be pushed and popped in a stack so as tobe operated.

Thumbnail images may be displayed on the display 151 of the TV. In thiscase, a first task TS1 for displaying a thumbnail image may be pushed tothe identifier BM.

A second task TS2 may be additionally pushed to the identifier BM towhich the first task TS1 was pushed at the point in time T1. The secondtask TS2 may be a task for executing a function of displaying an imageselected from the thumbnail images on the entire screen. Thus, the imagemay be displayed as an entire screen image on the display 151 a of thetablet currently used by the user.

At the third point in time T3, a third task TS3 may be pushed to theidentifier BM to which the second task TS2 was pushed at the point intime T2. The third task TS3 may be a task for executing a function oftransmitting a selected image as an attachment of an e-mail. Thus, ascreen image for transmitting an e-mail by attaching an image may bedisplayed on the display 151 b of the phone currently used by the user.

At a point in time T4, the user may execute an identifier BM fortransmitting an e-mail by using the TV. In this case, the user may popup the tasks in reverse order of the pushed tasks. Namely, the tasks maybe executed in order of third, second, and first tasks TS3, TS3, andTS1. Thus, the user may naturally perform the previous operations in thedifferent electronic devices without having to repeat them.

FIG. 23 shows an example reproduction position of contents. As shown inFIG. 23, the contents (C) may be executed starting from a pre-setparticular point.

An identifier BM may be tagged to a certain position of the contents(C).

When the contents are reproduced on the basis of the information of thetagged identifier BM, the contents (C) may be reproduced starting from afirst position RP1 or a second position RP2.

The first position RP1 may be a point of the contents (C) at which theidentifier BM has substantially been tagged, from which reproducing isperformed.

The second position RP2 may be a point separated by a certain period oftime from the point at which the identifier BM is tagged. Namely, thesecond position RP2 may be a point separated by a separation time RTbehind the first position RP1. Thus, even if a portion of an image ismissing or lost in a transmission and reception process, the user cansmoothly view a desired image.

The separation time RT may change according to circumstances. Forexample, when the interval between the past point in time at which theidentifier BM was tagged and a current point in time at which theidentifier BM is selected is great, the separation time R may beincreased.

When the identifier BM was tagged in the remote past, the user's memoryof the contents (C) may be dim. Thus, in this case, the separation timeRT is set to be great such that the contents (C) is reproduced startingfrom a point in time in the further distant past than the point in timeat which the identifier BM was tagged.

When the identifier is tagged in a point in time in the rather recentpast, the user's memory of the contents (C) may be distinct. Thus, inthis case, the separation time RT is set to be small such that thecontents (C) is reproduced starting from a point in time in the morerecent past from the point in time at which the identifier BM wastagged.

FIGS. 24 and 25 show example operations according to reproductionreferences. As shown in FIGS. 24 and 25, the display device 100 mayselect an identifier on the basis of various reproduction references.

With reference to FIG. 24, the reproduction reference may be anidentifier tagged in the currently manipulated electronic device, themost recently tagged identifier, or an identifier tagged by the user whois currently manipulating an electronic device. Each example isdescribed in more detail with reference to FIG. 25.

As shown in FIG. 25( a), particular contents may be displayed until thepoint in time T1 through the TV. As the use of the TV is terminated atthe point in time T1, the first identifier BM1 may be created.

The particular contents may be displayed through the tablet from thepoint in time T2 to the point in time T3. As the use of the tablet isterminated at the point in time T3, the second identifier BM2 may becreated.

The particular contents may be displayed through the phone from thepoint in time T4 to the point in time T5. As the use of the tablet isterminated at the point in time T5, the third identifier BM3 may becreated.

At the point in time T6, the user may want to display the particularcontents by manipulating the TV again. In this state, the controller(180 in FIG. 1) may reproduce the contents starting from the positionmatched to the first identifier BM1 tagged in the same device as thecurrently manipulated TV. In this case, the contents may be providedwith the same resolution or viewing conditions to meet the intention ofthe user who wants to view the contents.

As shown in FIG. 25( b), when the user wants to display the particularcontents by manipulating the TV at the point in time T6, the controller(180 in FIG. 1) may reproduce the contents starting from the positionmatched to the third identifier BM3 which has been tagged most recently.This method may be effective when the contents is continuously viewed bythe same user.

As shown in FIG. 25( c), when the second user wants to display theparticular contents by manipulating the TV at the point in time T6, thecontroller (180 in FIG. 1) may reproduce the contents starting from theposition matched to the second identifier BM2 tagged by the second user.This method may be effective when the persons who view the contents aredifferent.

FIGS. 25( a) to (c) illustrate example use cases, but the presentdisclosure is not limited thereto and the three conditions may becombined to operate. For example, the user may consider the same case,and when the user is the same user, he may execute the contents startingfrom the most recently tagged position.

FIG. 26 illustrates an example process of a tagging operation. As shownin FIG. 26, the tagging operation may include step S110 of determiningwhether or not the manipulation with respect to the contents has beenterminated.

The tagging of an identifier may be performed in a particular device ata point in time at which the manipulation with respect to the contentsis terminated.

When the manipulation with respect to the contents is terminated, stepS120 includes determining whether or not an additional manipulationoccurs in a pre-set period of time after the manipulation is terminated.

When the manipulation with respect to the contents has been terminatedby mistake, the user may execute the contents again within a certaintime, thus preventing an identifier from being unnecessarily created.

When no additional manipulation occurs within the pre-set period of timeafter the manipulation is terminated, the tagging may be automaticallyperformed on the corresponding position (S130) or the user may be askedto confirm whether to perform tagging (S140).

FIGS. 27 and 28 show example operations of the display device. As shownin FIGS. 27 and 28, the display device 100 may display the presence orabsence of identifiers BM in various manners.

With reference to FIG. 27( a), the display device 100 may display thepresence or absence of an identifier BM at a point in time T1 at whichthe display device 100 is turned on. For example, when the user turns onthe TV, the identifier BM of the contents reproduced (or rendered) inthe TV may be displayed.

The display device 100 may display the presence or absence of anidentifier BM at a point in time T2 at which the user selects contents.For example, when the user selects particular contents, the displaydevice 100 may display an identifier BM tagged to the contents.

When there is no identifier BMS at the point in time T1 and/or T2, thedisplay device 100 may reproduce the contents without displaying thepresence of absence of an identifier BM.

With reference to FIG. 27( b), the controller (180 in FIG. 1) maydisplay a first display window on the display 151 in order to displaywhether or not there is a bookmark, an identifier BM, and/or receive auser input with respect to how to handle it. The user may select one ofa bookmark view menu or a disregard menu displayed on the first displaywindow.

When the user selects the disregard menu, the user can view thecorresponding contents from the beginning regardless of whether or notthere is a bookmark.

As shown in FIG. 28, a pop-up window for selecting particular contentsfrom among various contents may be displayed on the display 151.

Selectable contents may be displayed on the pop-up window. For example,indications for selecting contents C1 to C3 and indications indicatingwhether or not there is a bookmark in the corresponding contents may bedisplayed. The user may select particular contents to be reproduced onthe basis of the displayed information.

FIGS. 29 and 30 show example operations of the display device. As shownin FIGS. 29 and 30, the display device 100 may selectively display abookmark according to the attribute of an electronic device in which abookmark BM has been tagged.

With reference to FIG. 29, the electronic devices may be classified intoa plurality of groups. For example, the electronic devices may bedivided into a first group of common electronic devices, and a secondgroup of personal electronic devices.

The common electronic devices may be those shared by people. Forexample, the common electronic devices may be a TV placed in a livingroom or a desktop computer used by several people.

The personal electronic devices may be those exclusively used by aparticular person. For example, the personal electronic devices may be amobile phone or a notebook computer.

While the common electronic devices and/or personal electronic devicesare in use, a plurality of bookmarks BM may be tagged for particularcontents. For example, bookmarks may be tagged in the respective devicesfor the particular contents.

As shown in FIG. 30( a), the display device may display all thebookmarks tagged with respect to particular contents. For example, thedisplay device 100 may display second to fifth display windows P2 to P5.The second to fifth display windows P2 to P5 may show bookmarks BMtagged in each of the desktop computer, the TV, the phone, and thenotebook computer. Namely, the bookmarks BM may be displayed regardlessof the classification of the groups to which the respective electronicdevices belong.

With reference to FIGS. 30( b) and (c), the display device mayselectively display only bookmarks BM tagged in electronic devicesbelonging to a particular group. Namely, the display device 100 maydisplay only the bookmarks tagged in the common electronic devices oronly the bookmarks tagged in the personal electronic devices.

Implementations have been described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made without departing from thescope of the disclosure. Thus, it is intended that any futuremodifications or variations come within the scope of the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device comprising: a processor; and a memory; acommunication unit including at least one of a wireless communicationmodule and a wired communication module; and a circuit configured to:obtain a content including a plurality of identifiers through thecommunication unit, wherein each of the plurality of identifiersindicate information related to a manipulation of the content, whereinthe information includes at least one of an identification number,position information, device information, geographical information, anduser information; facilitate output, on an output unit, of arepresentation of the plurality of identifiers, wherein the output unitis separate from external electronic devices that performedmanipulations of the content indicated by the plurality of identifiers;determine that a manipulation of the content on the device terminates;monitor for additional manipulation of the content on the device for apre-set period of time after the determination that the manipulation ofthe content terminates on the device; continue to monitor to determinewhether manipulation of the content terminates on the device responsiveto a determination that additional manipulation of the content occurredon the device during the pre-set period of time; and perform anoperation directed to tagging an identifier for the content based on themanipulation of the content that terminates on the device responsive toa determination that additional manipulation of the content did notoccur on the device during the pre-set period of time.
 2. The device ofclaim 1, wherein the circuit is configured to: obtain the plurality ofidentifiers by accessing a plurality of identifiers which each mark apoint of the content at which the content was recently output by each ofthe different electronic devices; and facilitate output of therepresentation of the plurality of identifiers by facilitating output ofthe point of the content at which the content was recently output byeach of the different electronic devices.
 3. The device of claim 1,wherein the circuit is configured to: obtain the plurality ofidentifiers by accessing a plurality of identifiers which each mark atask performed on the content by each of the different electronicdevices; and facilitate output of the representation of the plurality ofidentifiers by facilitating output of the task performed on the contentby each of the different electronic devices.
 4. The device of claim 1,wherein the circuit is configured to perform the operation directed totagging the identifier for the content by tagging an identifier for thecontent based on the manipulation of content that has terminated.
 5. Thedevice of claim 1, wherein the circuit is configured to perform theoperation directed to tagging the identifier for the content by: askinga user whether to perform tagging of an identifier for the content basedon the manipulation of content that has terminated; in response toasking the user, receiving user input indicating whether the userdesires to perform tagging of an identifier for the content based on themanipulation of content that has terminated, and based on the user inputindicating a desire by the user to perform tagging of an identifier forthe content based on the manipulation of content that has terminated,tagging an identifier for the content based on the manipulation ofcontent that has terminated.
 6. The device of claim 1, wherein thecircuit is configured to: determine whether an identifier is availablefor each content item included in a set of content items; and based onthe determination of whether an identifier is available for each contentitem included in a set of content items, facilitate output of arepresentation the set of content items with an indication of whether anidentifier is available for each content item included in the set ofcontent items.
 7. The device of claim 1, wherein the circuit isconfigured to facilitate output of the representation of the pluralityof identifiers by facilitating output of the plurality of identifiers.8. The device of claim 1, further comprising a display, wherein thecircuit is configured to: obtain the plurality of identifiers byreceiving, through the communication unit and from a server,communications defining the plurality of identifiers; and facilitateoutput of the representation of the plurality of identifiers bydisplaying, on the display, a representation of the plurality ofidentifiers.
 9. The device of claim 1, wherein the circuit is configuredto: obtain the plurality of identifiers by receiving, through thecommunication unit and from the different electronic devices,communications defining the plurality of identifiers, storing, inelectronic storage, the plurality of identifiers defined based on thereceived communications, and accessing, from the electronic storage, theplurality of identifiers defined based on the received communications;and facilitate output of the representation of the plurality ofidentifiers by sending, through the communication unit and to a userdevice, communications that enable the user device to output arepresentation of the plurality of identifiers.
 10. The device of claim1, wherein the circuit is configured to receive a selection of anidentifier from among the plurality of identifiers, determine a positionof the content matched to the selected identifier, and facilitate outputof the content starting from the determined position of the contentmatched to the selected identifier.
 11. The device of claim 1, whereinthe circuit is configured to obtain the plurality of identifiers byaccessing a plurality of identifiers that each define a reproductionposition with respect to the content, each define in which of thedifferent electronic devices the corresponding identifier was tagged,and each define a user that tagged the corresponding identifier.
 12. Thedevice of claim 1, wherein the circuit is configured to: obtain theplurality of identifiers by accessing a plurality of identifiers whicheach mark a manipulation of content performed by a user and which eachindicate the user that performed the manipulation of content; andfacilitate output of the representation of the plurality of identifiersby facilitating output of the representation of the plurality ofidentifiers based on the user that performed the manipulation of contentindicated by each of the plurality of identifiers.
 13. The device ofclaim 12, wherein facilitating output of the representation of theplurality of identifiers based on the user that performed themanipulation of content indicated by each of the plurality ofidentifiers comprises facilitating output of the representation of theplurality of identifiers with an indication of the user that performedthe manipulation of content indicated by each of the plurality ofidentifiers.
 14. The device of claim 12, wherein facilitating output ofthe representation of the plurality of identifiers based on the userthat performed the manipulation of content indicated by each of theplurality of identifiers comprises: determining an identity of a user towhich the representation of the plurality of identifiers is to beoutput; comparing the determined identity to indications of the userthat performed the manipulation of content indicated by each of theplurality of identifiers; based on comparison results, identifying asubset of the plurality of identifiers that match the determinedidentity; and facilitating output of a representation of the identifiedsubset of the plurality of identifiers that match the determinedidentity.
 15. A method implemented by a processor, comprising: obtainingby the processor, a content including a plurality of identifiers througha communication unit, wherein each of the plurality of identifiersindicate information related to a manipulation of the content, whereinthe information includes at least one of an identification number,position information, device information, geographical information, anduser information; facilitating output by the processor, on an outputunit, of a representation of the plurality of identifiers, wherein theoutput unit is separate from external electronic devices that performedmanipulations of the content indicated by the plurality of identifiers;determining by the processor, that a manipulation of the content on thedevice terminates; monitoring by the processor, for additionalmanipulation of the content on the device for a pre-set period of timeafter the determination that the manipulation of the content terminateson the device; continuing to monitor by the processor, to determinewhether manipulation of the content terminates on the device responsiveto a determination that additional manipulation of the content occurredon the device during the pre-set period of time; and performing by theprocessor, an operation directed to tagging an identifier for thecontent based on the manipulation of the content that terminates on thedevice responsive to a determination that additional manipulation of thecontent did not occur on the device during the pre-set period of time.16. The method of claim 15, wherein: obtaining the plurality ofidentifiers comprises accessing a plurality of identifiers which eachmark a point of the content at which the content was recently output byeach of the different electronic devices; and facilitating output of therepresentation of the plurality of identifiers comprises facilitatingoutput of the point of the content at which the content was recentlyoutput by each of the different electronic devices.
 17. The method ofclaim 15, wherein: obtaining the plurality of identifiers comprisesaccessing a plurality of identifiers which each mark a task performed onthe content by each of the different electronic devices; andfacilitating output of the representation of the plurality ofidentifiers comprises facilitating output of the task performed on thecontent by each of the different electronic devices.
 18. The method ofclaim 15, wherein performing the operation directed to tagging theidentifier for the content comprises tagging an identifier for thecontent based on the manipulation of content that has terminated. 19.The method of claim 15, wherein performing the operation directed totagging the identifier for the content comprises: asking a user whetherto perform tagging of an identifier for the content based on themanipulation of content that has terminated; in response to asking theuser, receiving user input indicating whether the user desires toperform tagging of an identifier for the content based on themanipulation of content that has terminated, and based on the user inputindicating a desire by the user to perform tagging of an identifier forthe content based on the manipulation of content that has terminated,tagging an identifier for the content based on the manipulation ofcontent that has terminated.
 20. The method of claim 15, furthercomprising: determining whether an identifier is available for eachcontent item included in a set of content items; and based on thedetermination of whether an identifier is available for each contentitem included in a set of content items, facilitating output of arepresentation the set of content items with an indication of whether anidentifier is available for each content item included in the set ofcontent items.
 21. The method of claim 15, wherein facilitating outputof the representation of the plurality of identifiers comprisesfacilitating output of the plurality of identifiers.
 22. The method ofclaim 15, wherein: obtaining the plurality of identifiers comprisesreceiving, through the communication unit and from a server,communications defining the plurality of identifiers; and facilitatingoutput of the representation of the plurality of identifiers comprisesdisplaying, on a display, a representation of the plurality ofidentifiers.
 23. The method of claim 15, wherein: obtaining theplurality of identifiers comprises receiving, through the communicationunit and from the different electronic devices, communications definingthe plurality of identifiers, storing, in electronic storage, theplurality of identifiers defined based on the received communications,and accessing, from the electronic storage, the plurality of identifiersdefined based on the received communications; and facilitating output ofthe representation of the plurality of identifiers comprises sending,through the communication unit and to a user device, communications thatenable the user device to output a representation of the plurality ofidentifiers.
 24. The method of claim 15, further comprising: receiving aselection of an identifier from among the plurality of identifiers;determining a position of the content matched to the selectedidentifier; and facilitating output of the content starting from thedetermined position of the content matched to the selected identifier.25. The method of claim 15, wherein obtaining the plurality ofidentifiers comprises accessing a plurality of identifiers that eachdefine a reproduction position with respect to the content, each definein which of the different electronic devices the correspondingidentifier was tagged, and each define a user that tagged thecorresponding identifier.
 26. The method of claim 15, wherein: obtainingthe plurality of identifiers comprises accessing a plurality ofidentifiers which each mark a manipulation of content performed by auser and which each indicate the user that performed the manipulation ofcontent; and facilitating output of the representation of the pluralityof identifiers comprises facilitating output of the representation ofthe plurality of identifiers based on the user that performed themanipulation of content indicated by each of the plurality ofidentifiers.
 27. The method of claim 26, wherein facilitating output ofthe representation of the plurality of identifiers based on the userthat performed the manipulation of content indicated by each of theplurality of identifiers comprises facilitating output of therepresentation of the plurality of identifiers with an indication of theuser that performed the manipulation of content indicated by each of theplurality of identifiers.
 28. The method of claim 26, whereinfacilitating output of the representation of the plurality ofidentifiers based on the user that performed the manipulation of contentindicated by each of the plurality of identifiers comprises: determiningan identity of a user to which the representation of the plurality ofidentifiers is to be output; comparing the determined identity toindications of the user that performed the manipulation of contentindicated by each of the plurality of identifiers; based on comparisonresults, identifying a subset of the plurality of identifiers that matchthe determined identity; and facilitating output of a representation ofthe identified subset of the plurality of identifiers that match thedetermined identity.